The Profound Gifts of the Saturn Return
Nothing to fear, everything to gain
Island Girl, pre-Saturn-Return, lost & confused
As I entered my first Saturn Return (age 29ish), back in the late 90s, I was a mess. I had dropped out of graduate school, letting go of my plan to be a professor - with no idea of an alternate career path. My latest romantic relationship had gone south, in a most dramatic way, and seemed like a culmination of all the dysfunctional patterns I had brought to previous relationships.
The Universe was showing me, with great clarity, everything that was NOT working in my life - all the ways I was out of integrity with my true self, how my inner wounded child was running the show instead of my inner wise-woman. I was living in the Virgin Islands, working as a waitress, broke (the coke-addicted ex had stolen money from me), and lost AF.
A series of unfortunate events - and a kind friend with an available couch - landed me in New York City, the place of my birth, which would turn out to be the place of my RE-birth. Though I was born in Manhattan, we had moved far upstate when I was three, so the city wasn’t exactly home. But I appreciated the poetry of ending up back there as I came into my Saturn Return.
One of my NYC temp jobs turned into a full-time gig as an admin assistant for a ritzy entertainment law firm in Midtown. Um, yeah, not exactly a realignment with my true self, but the regular paycheck and stability were a welcome change. (Not to mention the thrill of hooking up Gene Simmons to a conference call, or ushering Naomi Campbell into a meeting.)
Even in that alien environment, the Universe was looking out for me. Lana, the assistant whose desk was next to mine, shared my interest in the esoteric. She handed me a catalog for the New York Open Center - a non-profit in SoHo that hosted classes and trainings in spiritual subjects and alternative healing modalities. Including ASTROLOGY. And, for the financially challenged, there were opportunities to volunteer in exchange for classes.
Reader, volunteering at the NYOC changed the trajectory of my life, and brought me into alignment with my true path. After years of learning astrology on my own, I got to study with an actual astrologer (the amazing John Marchesella). I did a 9-month training in herbalism, and also completed a certification in Polarity Therapy, and learned Reflexology. I took classes with Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg and Sonia Choquette.
And, after six months or so of volunteering, I was offered a full-time job assisting the director. I started doing astro-readings for friends, and they told their friends. I also started leading creative writing workshops, having taken the risk of joining my first writing workshop and then training in the Amherst Writers & Artists method.
What happens during the Saturn Return STICKS. Saturn is a force of crystallization - the decisions you make, the actions you take during that time have long-term consequences. And, case in point, here I am, more than 25 years later, still working as an astrologer, still leading writing workshops.
I’m now entering my second Saturn Return - another period of major endings and beginnings, realignment with my true path and purpose, another step forward in owning my power and authority. While the first Return certainly featured some challenges, there were also miraculous synchronicities and magical support. I’m excited to see what the second will bring.
If you’re coming into or finishing up your Saturn Return - if you were born with Saturn
in Pisces or Aries - I would love to support you through this epic transition! I’m teaming up with my brilliant Virgo Stellium Soul Sister Tammy Roth to offer a one-of-a-kind 8-week workshop: the Saturn Return Quantum Immersion. We’ll meet via Zoom, and we begin January 6.
You can check out a video with Tammy and me, where we talk about the Immersion, to get a feel for what we’re up to. You don’t need any previous experience with astrology to participate - beginners are welcome! Early-bird pricing is available through tomorrow, December 21. Feel free to contact me with any questions.